Australia cancels $7 billion satellite contract with Lockheed Martin
The Australian government today announced it has canceled a $7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin, issued only eighteen months ago, to build geosynchronous communications satellites for its military.
The project — known as JP9102 — was expected to include locally controlled and operated geostationary communications satellites, as well as multiple ground stations, but on Monday the Department of Defence confirmed it no longer met “strategic priorities”.
“With the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project’s commencement, defence has assessed that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities,” the statement read. “As such, defence has decided to cease its current procurement activity with Lockheed Martin Australia for a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system.”
The project had been initiated by the previous government. The new Labor government however appears less interested in defense spending, and has been cutting related government space projects aggressively.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit.
The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
The Australian government today announced it has canceled a $7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin, issued only eighteen months ago, to build geosynchronous communications satellites for its military.
The project — known as JP9102 — was expected to include locally controlled and operated geostationary communications satellites, as well as multiple ground stations, but on Monday the Department of Defence confirmed it no longer met “strategic priorities”.
“With the acceleration in space technologies and evolving threats in space since the project’s commencement, defence has assessed that a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system would not meet strategic priorities,” the statement read. “As such, defence has decided to cease its current procurement activity with Lockheed Martin Australia for a single orbit GEO-based satellite communications system.”
The project had been initiated by the previous government. The new Labor government however appears less interested in defense spending, and has been cutting related government space projects aggressively.
On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.
The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.
The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News
Phew! For a second, I worried that stupid, short-sighted decisions were only made north of the equator.
Probably a good decision even if – coming from a Labour government – also likely made for the wrong reasons. The era of gold-plated GEO milsats is rapidly going away in favor of far cheaper and more numerous LEO and/or MEO milsats. Whether Australian or U.S., $7 billion is a lot of money. Australia would be far better off spending that on almost anything else than what was originally proposed.
Likely correct decision for the wrong reason as Dick says.. Australia should get on board with StarShield. We are a US satrapy anyway.
Mike Borgelt,
No, you aren’t. You’re a self-harmed victim of too many recent bad choices made on your own. Your Left has already taken your guns and your freedom of speech while our Left is still merely trying to do the same here. Tomorrow’s election should determine, in large measure, how likely they are to succeed.